Synthetic continuous filament yarn in the continuous filament yarn state



Aug. 16, 1955 N. ROSENSTEIN ET AL 2,

SYNTHETIC CONTINUOUS FILAMENT YARN IN THE CONTINUOUS FILAMENT YARN STATE Filed May 31. 1950 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TORS NATHA R SEN5TEIN ABRAHAM d. IZOSENSTEN @5 2 MAM/@4411;

Aug. 16, 1955 N. ROSENSTEIN ET AL SYNTHETIC CONTINUOUS FILAMENT YARN IN THE CONTINUOUS FILAMENT YARN STATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 51, 1950 INVENTORS' NATHAN ROSE STEIN By ABRAHAM .J. QOSENSTE" MM/w.

ATTO ME/ S United States Patent O tum? SYNTHETIC CONTINUOUS FILAMENT YARN IN THE CONTINUOUS FILAMENT YARN STATE Nathan Rosenstein and Abraham J. Rosenstein, West Hartford, Conn.

Application May 31, 195%), Serial No. 165,286

1 Claim. (Cl. 57-140) This invention relates to synthetic continuous filament yarn in the continuous filament yarn state. More particularly this invention relates to a synthetic permanent continuously crimped filament yarn of a synthetic resin. Instead of quilling and retwisting, the crimped yarn may be Warped for weaving, tricot or warp knitting.

Synthetic continuous filament yarns as distinguished from synthetic spun yarns as now used have certain latent disadvantages which have limited their uses. it will be noted that such continuous filament yarns as nylon, Orlon, glass fiber yarn, saran, Fiber V, dynel and other continuous filament yarns have a smooth, slippery, wirelike and/or glass-like appearance. Of the aforesaid yarns, Orion is a trademarked item comprising a polymer of acrylonitrile and is also known as an acrylic resin; saran, also known as Velon, is a copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride; dynel, also known as Vinyon N, is a coplymer of vinyl chloride and of acrylonitrile, and Fiber V is a trademarked item comprising polyethylene terephthallate. There is little or no life or resilience in such types of continuous filament yarns due to their lack of porosity or perviousness. Furthermore, such textiles are so dense and non-permeable that there is little air insulation in them. Fabrics made from such yarn generally do not drape well and are difiicult to sew and handle. Also, such continuous filament yarn in its heretofore used form is dilficult to use as a sewing thread because of its slipping properties. Such types of continuous filament yarn, because of the disadvantages hereinabove indicated, greatly limit their use for commercial and industrial purposes.

In the use of such continuous synthetic filament yarns and other types of continuous filament yarns for the production of textiles, wearing apparel, sewing thread and industrial products, it will be noted that the individual continuous filaments thereof lack flexibility, life, softness, resilience and air space between them to permit breathing therethrough. Such disadvantages of these types of continuous filament yarns have prevented the fullest use to which the same can be applied.

While some of the raw material fibers for producing spun yarns are presently being crimped by other methods, many of such fibers and natural fibers, such as cotton, ramie and flax, do not lend themselves readily to crimping by existing means or methods, since such fibers cannot withstand the required amount of stress or strain applied transversely to their longitudinal axes. Where such spun yarns are produced from uncrimped fibers for the purposes hereinabove, they possess many of the disadvantages indicated with respect to the continuous filament yarns. Furthermore, where such fibers have resisted crimping by means of previously used methods, such fibers have been most difiicult and in many cases impossible to spin.

With the foregoing disadvantages in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a permanently fixed, novel, crimped yarn such as obtained in a spun yarn made from crimped synthetic staple.

2,715,309 Patented Aug. 16, 1955 "ice One more object of the present invention is to provide a continuously crimped, spun-like yarn of synthetic continuous filamentary material adapted for subsequent processing into a wider variety of finished textiles and commercial and industrial products and uses.

One further object of this invention is to obtain a smooth surfaced crimped yarn made from synthetic continuous heat setting filaments.

Still another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a crimped spun-like yarn having the advantages of economy of production, uniformity of yarn size, greater breaking strength as compared with yarn of like size, ability to attain finer yarn counts than heretofore obtainable in an ordinary spun-yarn, and the avoidance of pilling.

One further object of the present invention is to form a set crimp in tows of fibers which because of their qualities, heretofore could not withstand any prolonged strain or stress applied transversely of their longitudinal axes.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view showing a process and a device for processing synthetic continuous filaments according to our invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of Fig. 1 including a setting oven used according to the process hereinafter described;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental detail sectional view of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the detail shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a tow showing the crimp having a sinuous or curved appearance, as formed according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the processed continuous filament yarn showing the tied ends thereof and which have been treated according to the process hereinafter described;

Fig. 7 is a somewhat exaggerated view of a yarn of continuous filaments showing a number of twists therein per inch preparatory to being treated according to the present invention; and

Fig. 8 is a somewhat magnified view of a twisted yarn as shown in Fig. 7, in crimped and set form in which there is one turn of twist for every four crimps.

Referring now to the drawings in which similar reference characters denote like parts throughout, it will be noted that by the hereinafter described method forming part of this invention, individual continuous filament yarns in single or ply, in all usable deuiers or twists, are passed through a standard type of ball warping machine, not shown, with leasing arrangements 16 in which the ends 11 of each of the continuous filament yarns 12 are initially leased by means of cross-leasing threads 13 and 14 of the same material as the yarns but preferably of a different color for purposes of identification passing through the leasing arrangement. Since ball warping machines are well known in the art, it is not believed necessary to show the details of the same herein.

It will be noted that the number of individual continuous filament yarns 12. will depend upon the denier of the yarn and the capacity of the subsequent equipment hereinafter described; and that said yarns 12 may be drawn longitudinally onto a ball warp so as to produce a ball of rope of longitudinally extending continuous filament yarns in the shape of a rope. Furthermore, and in the alternative, a plurality of continuous filament yarns may be passed through any type of leasing arrangement, such as shown at 10 in Fig. 1, where each end of the filament yarn is individually and initially leased and then fed directly according to the process into a crimping device 15, as shown in the drawings, and the details of which will be more fully described hereinafter. Said resultant rope 16 after leasing of the component filaments is passed through an annular guide member 17 held in rigidly fixed position by means of a support member 18 mounted on frame 19 in any suitable manner.

For purposes of better understanding of this invention, the term rope means a bundle of or a plurality of continuous filament yarns whether the filaments of said yarns are parallel with each other or are twisted relatively of each other. A filament yarn according to the present invention encompasses a solid filament or filaments formed by extrusion under pressure of a liquid or solution into a solidifying medium.

Said rope 16 after having passed through guide member 17 is passed through a plurality of subsidiary guides ZO'and 21 disposed preferably in alignment with guide 17 and mounted on an adjustable support member 22 fixed on said frame 19 in any suitable manner, such as shown in the drawings. Said rope or bundle next passes onto a roller member 23 mounted on a horizontally disposed shaft 24 fixed to an upright 25. Said device with its frame 19 is provided with a pair of vertically disposed peripherally smooth pressure rollers 26 and 27, respectively, which are mounted on said frame 19. One of said shafts is driven by means of a power unit 30 through a drive chain 31 interconnecting sprocket 32 fixed to said shaft 29 and a sprocket 33 fixed to shaft 34 of power unit 30. Said motor drives a gear 36 which in turn drives intermediary gear 36' meshed with a gear driving gear 35, so as to simultaneously rotate rollers 26 and 27, respectively, in a counter-rotary manner. It will be noted that said rollers are adapted to rotate in a relatively counter-clockwise direction and are in tangential relation with each other on their point of contactas shown more clearly in Fig. 4. The pressure of one of said rollers can be relatively adjusted with respect to the other by means of a spring tension regulating unit 37, which is provided with a handle 37a, a threaded shaft 37b extending through a threaded opening in bracket 37c and having a stop 37d for a pressure spring 372 which presses against a housing 37 By operating the handle 37a, the housing 37 containing shaft 28, can be moved laterally with respect to the other shaft 29. Said unit 37 is provided in order to permit a slight yielding movement of roller 26 with respect to roller 27 when the tow rope or bundle 16 is passed between them. Disposed above said rollers 26 and 27 is a tubular guide member 38 fixed to a suitable support 39 adapted to accommodate said rope 16. On each side of said guide 38 and disposed at an incline relatively to said guide in the direction of the meeting edges of said rollers 26 and 27 are oblong shaped condenser guide members 40 and 41, respectively, fixed in any suitable manner to said support 39. Each of said condenser guides, as shown, is provided with a rectangular opening 42 and may be tapered at its end adjacent said guide member 38. Said condenser guides 40 and 41 are each provided with an endless cushion apron 43 and 44, respectively, which passes therethrough and which is made of a filament sliver, knitted or woven webbing or such like material of a durable and pliable nature. Said guides, as indicated hereinabove, are preferably tapered whereby the narrowed ends adjacent the rollers 26 and 27 permit the cushion aprons 43 and 44 to form a sheath or envelope enclosing the tow or rope of continuous filament yarns 12 as said rope 16 passes between the counterrotary pressure rollers 26 and 27 so as to protect said continuous filament yarns and their surfaces from any crushing or distorting action of the rollers as the rope or bundle consisting of said continuous filament yarns passes therebetween, and to cushion the pressure of the rope or bundle while being bent transversely of its longitudinal axis as hereinafter indicated. Furthermore, the aprons prevent the continuous filament yarns from being surface abraded.

7 It will be noted that the tapered or feeding end of said 4 condenser or leader guides is no wider than the thickness of said feeder rollers 26 and 27. Said cushion aprons 43 and 44 are shown as being endless and supported by means of members 45 and 46, respectively.

Disposed beneath said rollers 26 and '27 and extending upwardly on either side thereof, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, there is provided a housing 47 which is retained in any suitable manner on said frame 19. The bottom of said housing is open while the rear wall 48 is fixed and has a curved recess 48a at the upper end thereof for accommodating a disc member 49 which is disposed in the area of tangential contact of said rollers 26 and 27. The front 50 of said housing 47 is provided with a movable truncated section or door 51 pivoted to said front 5t? by means of a removable pin 52 extending therethrough. The upper part of said front 50 is also provided with an annular recess 53 similar to recess 48a and is adapted to accommodate a disc 54 held in position against rollers 26 and 27 by means of a pin 55 mounted on a movable bracket 56 and held in position thereagainst by means of a hinged locking member 57;

In order to keep section 51 in relatively inclined position, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to close said housing 47, there is provided a lever arm 58 pivoted at intermediate point 59 to a portion 66 of frame 19. The end 61 of said arm presses against said section or door 51' while the other end 62 of said arm is provided with a groove adapted to retain one or more weights 63.

As the rope is drawn between the cushion aprons 43 and 44 between rollers 26 and 27 by means of said rollers,

the resultant squeezed or compressed rope of continuous filament yarns as it enters into said housing 47 is enveloped by the sheath of cushion aprons as indicated above and is retained in said housing in a crimped or folded condition; that is, disposed angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the individual continuous filament yarn. It will be noted that there is an accumulation of such folded filament yarn with the result that as the crimped yarn and cushion aprons accumulate in said housing there is a piling up of pressure in the housing exerted against the yarn and the cushion aprons particularly in the area beneath the point of potential contact of pressure wheels 26 and 27. When the housing 47 is filled with said folded, compressed or crimped rope which is continuously entering thereinto by means of said rollers 26 and 27, front door 51 yields to the accumulation of the crimped rope and cushions in the housing in an amount directly in proportion to the amount of pressure exerted against end 61 thus permitting the accumulated crimped bundle or rope of'continuous filament yarns and the cushion aprons 43 and 44 to drop from the open end of the housing in a relaxed, limp, crimped condition into a collecting box 64 or other suitable type of container, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. During this process said cushion aprons 43 and 44 are separated from the continuous crimped rope and are separated and redi-. rected by means of guides 45 and 46 into guides 40 and 41, respectively, and again between the rollers 26 and 27 forming a sheath or cushion for the rope of continuous filament yarns as it enters between the rollers from guide 38.

By our invention, additional guide and cushioning means can be provided similar to guides 40 and 41 and cushioning means 43 and 44, respectively, whereby such additional cushioning means are drawn between rollers 26 and 27 in such a manner as to form a peripheral groove between them on the rollers. The rope thus comes into contact with the bare surfaces of the rollers and as it enters into the housing 47, backs up againstsaid rollers so as to form a sharply accentuated crimp in the yarns of the rope. I i

The relaxed, crimped rope of continuous filament yarns in container 54 is then moved into a setting oven 65 whereupon after the door thereof has been closed the temperature in the oven is raised to the proper setting temperature for the particular material being treated and kept in the setting oven for the length of time required by the individual material befag treated. It will be noted that a setting oven is customarily used in the textile art and that there is an application of heat, pressure and moisture on the yarn or material therein. It has been found that the temperature range to be used may vary depending upon the type of fiber being treated in the setting oven. The range may be from 180 F. to 350 F. or higher. It has been found, for example, that the desired temperature for setting nylon is about 270 F. and for saran from 180 to 190 F. The length of time required for setting may vary anywhere from fifteen minutes to one and a half hours, while the steam pressure in said oven may be varied from 30 to 50 pounds per square inch. By this setting operation the crimp is permanently formed in the continuous filament yarns.

After the setting operation has been completed the rope is then quilled and the individual continuousyarns in the rope are then wound upon individual bobbins ready for subsequent twisting, winding and fabrication. Since the rope is leased where desired, the rope may be directly placed on warp beams ready for weaving, tricot or warp knitting. It will be noted that said continuous filament yarns are in a permanently crimped condition and may be retained in single yarn or may be made into multiple plys of spun-like yarn or manipulated into plied yarns of novelty twist.

The method and device hereinabove described and illustrated are also applicable for the processing of a sliver or slivers consisting of natural or synthetic continuous or non-continuous fibers which normally cannot Withstand the stress or strain applied transversely of their longitudinal axes. When applied to such slivers, the use of leasing arrangements and subsequent quilling is obviated. Such sliver when treated as above indicated is then set and is then ready for subsequent treatment in normal spinning operations. Such type of sliver is shown in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, it will be noted that by our invention a novel crimped continuous filament yarn is obtained which is lofty and has the desirable characteristics of a spun-like yarn known in the art. Furthermore, a textile or product made with the crimped type of continuous filament yarn of thte present invention is resilient and provides air spaces which act as an insulation in contrast to the presently made textiles containing synthetic continuous filament yarn. Because the filaments of this novel crimped yarn are continuous there is no pilling of any of the fibers as in products heretofore made from ordinary spun synthetic yarns since there are not likely to be any free exposed ends of the filaments. In order to obtain a highly effective crimping action, as shown and described hereinabove, the bundle or rope may be rerun through a crimping box any desired number of times. It is an important advantage of the present invention to provide the characteristics of a spun yarn to the synthetic heat setting continuous filament yarn without any of the defects of the spun yarn and without the higher costs of making such a spun yarn.

The pitch of the crimp may be varied depending on the requirements of the different materials used by varying the thickness of the cushion apron and/ or the upward pressure applied against the door of the crimping box. The best crimp, however, is efiected when the portions of the filament yarn are substantially bent on themselves at approaching Also, as will be noted from the drawings and description herein the filaments in the rope do not come into contact with any metal during the crimping or bending operation and are nonabraded. Furthermore, it will be noted that each crimp has a straight side portion and a portion connecting the side portion, each side portion being materially longer than the connecting portion.

With respect to the sliver, it will be noted that by this invention as herein described and illustrated, natural and synthetic fibers which heretofore could not be crimped are treated so as to obtain a crimped or sinuous form, such as shown at 11:: and 11b in Figs. 7 and 8 respectively. Such crimped fibers can now be manufactured into a yarn which results in greater loftiness and warmth as compared with the same fibers when untreated. Furthermore, such crimped fibers lend themselves to easier spinning as well as the production of a spinning having such fine counts which normally are unobtainable from such types of fibers.

While one preferred embodiment of our method and means for producing a crimped filament yarn has been disclosed, it is to be understood that modifications as to form, use, and arrangement of parts and steps may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

We claim:

A crimped, continuous filament yarn consisting of smoothed surfaced filaments of a synthetic resin material, each filament being formed of permanent, V-shaped, symmetrical crimps, each crimp having straight side portions and a portion connecting the side portions, each side portion being materially longer than the connecting portion and set to about 180 of the longitudinal axis of the yarn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,987,453 Thomas et a1. Jan. 8, 1935 2,090,669 Dreyfus et al Aug. 24, 1937 2,157,118 Heckert May 9, 1939 2,157,119 Miles, Jr. May 9, 1939 2,187,567 Esselmann et al Jan. 16, 1940 2,197,896 Miles Apr. 23, 1940 2,249,756 Finzel July 22, 1941 2,311,174 Hitt Feb. 16, 1943 2,312,089 Gobeille Feb. 23, 1943 2,364,404 Thomas Dec. 5, 1944 2,369,395 Heymann Feb. 13, 1945 2,373,374 Bierwirth Apr. 10, 1945 2,394,165 Getaz Feb. 5, 1946 2,414,664 Peterson Jan. 21, 1947 2,419,320 Lohrke Apr. 22, 1947 2,439,815 Sisson Apr. 20, 1948 2,504,183 Croft Apr. 18, 1950 2,514,557 Pfau July 11, 1950 2,601,451 Page June 24, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 558,297 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES About Du Pont Nylon, copyright 1946, E. I.

du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Inc), pages 4 and 12. 

